Truths
by Raven-Fly Away
Summary: Despina is looking for something, but she doesn't know what. As a gypsy she can either be loved or despised by "normal" folk, when it's revealed that she has to enter into ah arranged marriage, Despina has to make some chocies that will hurt many. OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Something that I made up around Christmas time, at the start of the school holidays. Spending my time lounging around the house I thought I better be productive, or something….. I hope you like it, suggestions are welcome, any ideas if the story is going downhill too are also gladly accepted! AND I do tend to reply to all messages, so if **_**you**_** don't reply back, I'll feel unloved. xoxo – Raven **

I stood on a little platform above the gathering crowd, the guitar in my hands felt heavy, I told myself to focus on my breathing just like Mama always said, but it's always difficult to concentrate when all can hear is the sound of my pounding heart. A light autumn breeze ruffled my skirt and I shivered slightly. The crowd was getting anxious and the children started jostling each other, now or never, I thought. Opening my mouth wide I took a deep breath, struck a few chords on the guitar and started to sing.

I had taken many singing lessons with Mama when I was younger, she had always insisted, "If you cannot sing to earn your keep, Anselmo will cast you out." The words that Mama spoke were never taken lightly, all the orphans that lived in our troupe looked up to her as a grandmotherly figure and her words were trusted. The thought of being cast out of my family if I couldn't earn money cut me deeply as a child, as I had no mother or father who would leave with me, like many of the children in the Wayless folk, we were orphans. According to all the adults there was another troupe, years back, that were our rivals. A tribal war erupted between the Gypsy troupes and many lives were lost, among those lives were those of my parents and the parents of many friends. Anselmo holds no remorse for starting that war and killing so many, all he cared for was fame and money.

As our leader, Anselmo's word was law. I never doubted what Mama said about him, he was a greedy man who cared for nothing apart from gold, and keeping us alive was second on his to-do-list. He lived in a lavish caravan, hand carved and painted in reds and gold, which showed his wealth greatly. Although while everyone else worked he appeared to do nothing but spend the gold we had collected. But that's not to say that we were starving, we were all given rations that would keep us fit and well, and water was always free.

"Des… Despina," a hand shook me gently, "Des, wake up. Come on, please!" Opening my eyes to a bright light, I tried to squint against the glare. Seeing my discomfort Arianne shut the curtains a bit  
but still continued to drag me out of bed.  
"Goddess Ari, I'm up. Can't let me rest can you?" Playfully I pushed her onto my bed and got dressed ignoring her squeals of, "Don't wake the babes, Don't rock their cradle, Do **not** try to feed them biscuits!" Thankfully the caravan had stopped when I opened the door, there was a nasty incident a while back where a young boy opened the door when they were still moving and landed on his face and got trampled by the caravan behind his parents', he was okay, but has a wicked scar now.  
"Des! Can you please take Tinka, I'm going to wash Foxley." Shoving a babe into my arms Arianne continued to wrestle with her son and get him into a tub that still needed to be filled with water.

Arianne and I had grown up together, best friends since we were young. But it seemed that she grew up faster than me, getting married at fifteen and giving birth to twins nine months later, thankfully we could still share a caravan, else I'd be out of a home. Tinka and Foxley were the two most beautiful babes to have ever been born, they were perfect in every way. Tinka always smiled and laughed, her dark brown curls bounced whenever she moved and Foxley couldn't keep still always moving and shoving dirt in his mouth, causing his mother to have heart attacks.

Clutching Tinka to my chest, I wrapped my shawl around her as the air was quite crisp. Moving over to the fire place that was being set up, I set the angel down to find her some food, letting her crawl and dribble on other people. Looking up at the trees that surrounded the camp, I noticed the light mist that still hung to the branches, refusing to disappear. Water droplets hung in the air collecting on our faces and hair, they dampened the wood and food became soggy fast. Wiping the beads from my brow, I found the women setting up the food bench.  
"Mornin'. What would 'cha like, honey? This weather's a bit drab, ain't it?" Whilst they chatted amongst themselves about the weather I handed over my food chip and waited for my bread and broth.  
"Ere you are, poppet. Hope it tastes alright, Anselmo cut down the spices we're aloud to use in the kiddies food. He 'recons they can't 'preciate the flavours or somefing, so tell us later if it's alright, 'kay?" As she turned away I thought to ask for a bottle so I could feed Tinka, she didn't seem to happy that she'd been asked for again. Traipsing back to where Tinka sat in the slowly growing mud puddle, I shoved the bread in my mouth and scooped her up and took her back to the caravan to change her into some warmer clothes. As I sat on the cushions scattered on the floor I gazed at the fast approaching rain clouds, the broth cold in my lap. Tinka seemed content rolling on the floor with a bottle of water.  
"Despina, hey! Thanks for watching her," a soaking wet Ari came through the door holding a grinning boy on her hip, "Bit wet, isn't it?" Plonking the boy next to the girl, Ari sat next to me and stole my broth. "Hey, Des?"  
"Yep." I scratched a mosquito bite.  
"Have you thought about getting married? I mean, you're getting kinda old now, ya know? So I was just wondering…" Ari glanced at me from the corner of her eye, they were beautiful eyes, large and brown. But at sixteen I didn't feel that old, "No, I haven't given it any thought. Why?"  
"Well, when I was washing Mr. Trouble here, I overheard the older mothers. They were saying that Anselmo is going to start arranging marriages because there aren't enough children to keep the Wayless folk going, ya know? And the older mothers are, well, old. So they'll all be passing to the next life, with hardly any kiddies left."  
"Hrmm, but no one has caught my fancy. Ari, we all grew up together, I see them boys as my brothers, not as potential husbands." Brushing the hair from my forehead I watched the twins play together, giggling and gumming each other's hands.  
"Why don't you look at one of the older guys, like I did? Des, I don't want you to be unhappy, so it would be better if some things were of your choosing. You have a fire in you Des, when you want to unleash it, but you're also away with the faeries half the time. I found love and am happy with my life, I don't want you to be forced to marry some boy that is like your brother or a really old man. Your happiness is all I want, we're friends yeah? You know I love you." Throwing her arms around my shoulders, Ari pulled me to her and nestled her face in my damp hair.  
"I want to be happy too Ari."

**A/N: What an anti-climax, this is a warning stop reading this. I've read over it 3 times and every time it gets worse, *sigh*, it's a bit of a fail whale. Hope everyone is have an awesome (!) Christmas break and is tanning nicely. 3 my respect goes out to those who want to read more of this rubbish. Xoxo – Raven**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello peoples. The last chapter was a fail so, hopefully, in this one my creative juices will be flowing and it'll be better…*sigh* or not. A bit pessimistic, but, it's the truth. – Raven.**

The rain fell steadily for the next week, caravans became bogged easily and the children were always muddy. The horses became skittish as their senses were filled with rain and damp, and when the horses freaked so did the men, they saw ghouls around every corner and during the night spirits lurked near the outskirts of the camp, ready to frighten women and steal their kids.

During that week I thought much about what Ari had said about marriage, and maybe I _should_ get married, I mean, what was stopping me? I wrote down a list of all the men eligible for marriage in our troupe, in the end all the names were crossed off. All seemed to have major flaws that couldn't be fixed. They were either too serious, never took _me_ seriously, too old, too young or too…eww.  
I knew it was inevitable that I'd be forced to marry and only by a stroke of fate would a perfect guy come along, but marrying someone in the band would be like marrying a cousin or brother. I know that that happens in other troupes, but it's looked down upon in ours. Unless the relation is _really _distant, keep the money in the family and all that….

"Des, what is your problem?" Ari had her hands on hips and glared at me, "Were you even listening?"  
I blinked and yawned, "Sure, sure," I said waving her away, "Fix the caravan door, and fill up the water jugs. I'll do it, just hold on." Stretching, I heard my bones crack.  
A deep laugh echoed through the van, "Turning into an old lady Despina?" Arianne's husband, Bran, walked through the broken door. He filled the doorway dwarfing everyone he came across. Bran's skin was the colour of polished wood, his teeth were white and straight and he was _always_ kind and generous. Bran was the violinist in the Wayless folk, as was his father before him; his music was beautiful and could make the most heartless of mankind cry.

In many troupes it is customary for children to take the jobs of their parents, daughters after the mothers and sons after the fathers. Although this is not always the case, Titanna is our weapons-master just like her father, as she shared his passion for anything sharp and dangerous. I will be a singer like my parents and Ari will, after her children grow a bit, look after others children, just like her mother. Sometimes the roles we play are set for us, some things we cannot change. Although I don't mind the idea of singing for the rest of my life, I don't like my future set in stone, I don't like not being able to choose my own path, the direction in which I want to run. Mama always says that some things are better not to be fought against; swimming with the river is easiest, it will take you where you need to go in life. I suppose this brings my thoughts in a circle, if I do not fight against being married to someone who is chosen for me, my life will be easier. I will marry a man, have many children and die a singer. Never fully living because I didn't push the boundaries of the troupe, I will never have ventured far enough to meet fey folk, trolls or ghouls, I would be safe for ever.

"Goddess, Despina! Fix the door already, don't stare out the window at the rain. Good grief girl, I am constantly wondering how you ever survived infancy!" When a pillow hit my face I got off the floor. Fixing the door was easy, the hinge had come off and all I had to do was screw it back on, carrying heavy water jugs is another matter entirely. Rain pelted me in the face and the wind tossed my hair around. Carrying the jugs to the river's edge I filled them with water and slowly made my way back. A man's shout brought me out of my daydream.

A horse had started at the sound of the thunder and was straining against the ropes tethering it to a caravan. Three men were trying to subdue it, but it was no use when the lighting flashed across the sky, the stallion reared, breaking the bonds holding him. Dropping the jugs I ran to help and managed to grab the rope still around its neck as it ran past me. After a few steps I was able to clamber onto his back and rein him in. As the men reached me, the stallion's eyes were wild, as I continued to pat his neck as the three men roped him up again.  
"Hey, thanks Despina. Anselmo would have had our heads, had this one run off. So, thanks." Wiping the rain from my face, I smiled at Patrick. He _was_ on my list, but his obsession with horses was too strange.  
"That's okay. Does Anselmo like this horse or something?" A second later I felt like an idiot, the horse was being tied to Anselmo's caravan…..  
"Stupid…"  
"What? I can't hear over this rain!" Patrick yelled in my face as yet more rain poured down on our heads.  
"Nothing! Talking to myself!" Wiping more water out of my eyes, I could clearly see that Patrick hadn't heard a word I said. Shaking my head I sloshed back to where I had dropped the jugs and headed back to the river to clean off the mud and fill them back up.

On the way there I slipped in the mud and dirtied my only clean dress. Hoisting my woollen shawl higher onto my shivering shoulders, I dragged the heavy clay jugs the rest of the way. It had not occurred to me that the bank of the river would be slippery or made entirely of mud. It had also not occurred to me that leaning over a wet, slippery bank to fill two heavy jugs, near a fast flowing river would be dangerous.  
Struggling with the jugs my drenched dress became tangled in my legs, working to free myself I dropped one of them into the fast flowing river. Thankfully it became caught in some tree branches a bit further downstream.

My hair was plastered to my face and every time I opened my mouth rain went inside. I attempted to bring in the jug with a stick nearby; this only pushed it further away. I yelled in frustration, Ari would kill me if I lost the jug, as we wouldn't be given another one. Kneeling in the mud I hoisted my dress up so I wouldn't trip on it again, extending my arm my finger tips just grazed the rim of the jug. Shuffling forward half an inch, my whole torso was leaning out above a raging body of water, wiggling my fingers I _almost_ had it. Placing all my support on my knees and balancing with one hand, I leant over further. Before I realised, my left hand had slipped forward and down the side of the bank and I fell head first into the furious waterway.

All around me was a churning brown, I tumbled through the water, hitting my head and back on rocks submerged in the torrent. With my arms floundering, my head broke the surface and I gasped for air, as I was soon pushed under again. Kicking my legs out I sought for the riverbed and found it. Pushing up, my arms slapped the water and a shin collided with a branch. My lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen and it was all I could do to keep my head above water. I prayed to the water sprite to save me and as I lifted my head out of the water, for what I thought to be the last time, my ears were met with a sickening crack. My forehead had collided with a sharp rock, jutting out of the water. Clutching it, I raised my hand and brushed the water and blood from my eyes, my vision swam before me, a darkness closed in on my sight. The last thing I remember was the sound of rain hitting the surrounding river.

**A/N: *phew* I hope that's okay…..now to think of something else to happen. Because I never plan these stories, I wing **_**everything**_**. Ta ta for now folks. Merry Christmas!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: 'ello. Don't mind me….. *peers through bedroom window*, tee hee, nice undies…  
– Raven, she is coming through your window, stealing up all your children…..maybe.**

I was cold, my whole body ached. Something tugged softly at my dress, my face was wet. I couldn't feel the ground, I was falling? No, something was under me, my face scratched against it. It was slippery and hard. Opening my eyes all I saw was black. Blind and alone, I started to remember what happened to me. Knowing now that I was clutching onto a rock, I gripped it all the more tighter in case I slipped off it, this just caused my muscles to throb. I recalled a story Mama told about the cold freezing men in their steps, keeping this in mind I tried to move my fingers slowing. The blood pulsed strong under my skin, this was a good sign, it meant that my body hadn't forgotten about my hands. That was another story Mama had told, it was about some men who had been caught in the white frost, their body had forgotten about their hands and feet and the limbs had 'died', they became black and couldn't be used anymore.

The blood had dried on my face, I could feel it, pulling at the skin every time I tried to move my eyebrows and eyes. After my fingers could move well enough, I moved onto my shoulders. The process was long and slow and only before I could move without wanting to scream did I look around. Everything was still black, I thought it would change after I could move, I would be blind forever. Lifting my head to where the sky should be I sobbed to the heavens, my pitiful cries echoed in my mind.

Blinking the tears from my eyes, I noticed the fires in the sky. Stars, the souls of lost dead ones. I blessed every God and Goddess, spirit and nymph I could think of. I wasn't blind, day would soon come and I would be able to find my way home.

When the sun broke over the horizon, I noticed that the river bank was not that far from me and if I reached out my arm I could clamber onto it. Doing so, I attempted to ring out my dress once on dry land. I'd lost my shawl, was freezing, my legs were still numb and I had no idea where I was. Don't get me wrong, I totally believed that I could find my way back; it would just take me a very long time… Ripping the hem of my dress I created a makeshift ribbon, wet hair on the back of your neck doesn't make you warmer, and started off into the wilderness.

All along the line of the river was dense scrub, making it almost impossible for me to follow the river directly. Pushing my way through trees, the branches flicking me in the face, I kept one eye on the sun and one on the fast disappearing waterway. After what felt like hours, I stumbled into a clearing. With the river on my right and forest on my left, I didn't feel very safe. Wild animals could leap out at any moment or worse, forest elves. And the deep, crazy river still ran pretty fast and I wouldn't survive if I jumped in again, but the clearing seemed a good place as any to take a rest. Leaning back onto a warm rock, I closed my eyes as I was bathed in sunshine.

By the time I opened my eyes again, the sun had dipped very low in the sky. Crawling over to the river I cupped my hands in the water and drank slowly, making sure I didn't overload my body. I knew I couldn't go any further today as I risked being caught in the middle of the forest at night. At least I had a place to lie down here. I also knew that the weather could take a turn for the worse at any moment and that a shelter and fire would be essential if I wanted to keep my body still in one piece. There were a few sticks around me that had been dried by the midday sun and I put these into a small pile. Walking further into the forest than I wanted to, I found some large branches had fallen from a nearby tree. Dragging these back one by one, I lent them up against the large-ish rock I slept on earlier. Ripping leaves and moss off trees I threw it on top of the temporary shelter to protect me from rain. Next to the rock and under the shelter I started digging a fire pit. My logic was that the fire would be out of the elements and also heat up the rock, keeping me warm. Placing the small bundle of kindling I had gathered and a few more leaves I had found into the hole, I set out to find rocks I could strike together. I had seen the men make a fire countless times and knew that I needed two rocks, finding two that seemed to fit the image I remembered. Smacking them together over the fire pit, nothing happened. I tried many times to get it to work but with no success. Eventually I changed tactic, putting the rocks on an angle I copied the men in my memory, leaning in close I blew softly on the kindling when I saw a glowing piece of rock land on it. Very carefully I gave the fire more air until it was large enough to put more kindling on. By the time I had finished hours had passed and I was near death from exhaustion. Curing up against the rock, the heat of the fire against my face and neck, I was asleep in seconds.

During that night I woke up many times, I had that feeling that something was watching me. I also woke to the sound of my stomach grumbling and I knew that if I didn't find some food soon, I'd never make it back to the Wayless Folk. In the morning my fire had died down and only cinders were left. Crawling out and covering my front in black ashes, I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I staggered towards the river. After drinking my fill and washing my face I stood to survey the area, and find the best path to start on. Before I could leave something caught my eye, next to my shelter was a bundle of leaves tied with string. At first I was cautious when I approached it but after I took a breath, I smelt cooked fish. Untying the bundle 2 fish fell onto my lap, perfectly cooked. Without thinking it through I wolfed down the fish, picking the bones clean. After a few seconds I realised that the food may have been poisoned, it wasn't uncommon. Forest elves are very territorial and poisoning me would be seen as a reasonable way to get rid of me. But since I didn't feel any side effects, I decided to take it as a blessing and praised the gods for my good fortune.

As I continued on my journey I smiled into the trees in case someone was watching, I wanted them to know that I was thankful, and shooting me with an arrow wasn't called for. Following the river, I stopped only to drink and relieve my bladder. I didn't think I had travelled far when I fell into the river and I was proven correct when I noticed a W engraved onto a nearby tree. Every time we made camp men and women went out and carved these onto trees so that anyone who wanders away knows that they're nearly home. Running the last two hundred meters, I burst into the clearing with a yell on my lips.

It died short. The large glade was empty.

**A/N: Hope that one was better than the last few. A killer ending right? – Raven xoxo**


End file.
